“Hello, Evelyn.” She looked up nervously at the sky. “Do you suppose it’ll snow?”
“Smells like it,” Evelyn said, the wheels in her head turning as she looked at her friend’s mother.
“I’d better hurry,” she said, going down the stairs. “Goodbye!”
“Wait.” Evelyn turned and followed her down the steps. “I’ll go with you, if that’s all right. I wanted to talk to Ruthie.”
“Of course.”
Evelyn took Minnie’s bag to help her, and they walked as quickly as Minnie could manage.
Safely ensconced in Ruthie’s bedroom, Evelyn locked the door and pulled Ruthie to sit with her on the bed. “What are you doing?” Ruthie asked, confused.
“Shhhh. I need you to help me.”
“Oh, Evelyn,” Ruthie whispered. “What have you done?”
“Nothing! What do you think I’ve done?”
“I never know with you.”
“Good grief. I just need to borrow something.”
Ruthie looked at her suspiciously. “What?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll have it back before she even knows it’s missing.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m asking for yet!”
“Look, if you want something of mine, you can have it. But if it’s not mine, I can’t give it.”
“Ruthie,” Evelyn said quietly. “You’re the only one who can help me.”
Ruthie sighed. “What do you want? I’m probably not giving it to you, but what is it?”
“Tony’s brother is getting married this weekend. And I want to go.”
“You’re still seeing Tony?”
“Yes, and you can’t tell anyone. But I need to go to the wedding.”
“In a church?”
Evelyn nodded, and Ruthie exhaled loudly. “Evelyn, why are you doing this? There are a million Jewish boys out there.”
“There are,” Evelyn said. “But there’s only one Tony. And he’s the boy for me.”
“And how am I supposed to help with that?”
Evelyn told her. Ruthie protested, but by the time Evelyn left a half hour later, she had secured a promise that Ruthie would try. As Evelyn walked home through swirling snowflakes, she smiled, her plan taking shape.
Evelyn paced her bedroom floor, checking her watch every few minutes. Ruthie was late. And if she was much later, it would be a problem.
Finally, she heard footsteps in the hall and flung open her bedroom door to see Ruthie with Vivie. She grabbed Ruthie’s arm and yanked her into the bedroom. “Did you get it?” she hissed.
Ruthie nodded. Vivie’s eyes were wide with excitement as Ruthie pulled her mother’s blonde wig gingerly out of her bag. She didn’t hand it over though.
“You have to be careful with it. She doesn’t wear it often, but she takes good care of it. It’s the expensive one.”
“I’ll treat it like it’s a baby,” Evelyn promised. “You’re an angel, Ruthie. A true angel.”
“I’m going to be a dead angel if you mess this up.”
“I won’t. I swear on . . .” She pulled Vivie to her. “On my sister.”
“Hey!”
Ruthie smiled grimly. “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
“Because you love me.” Evelyn took the wig gently and placed it on her head in front of her vanity mirror. “And I love you.” She tucked her hair under it, turning her head this way and that. “How do I look?”
“Different,” Vivie said. “You might just be able to pull this off.”
“I’ve got Mama’s good hat too. If I keep my head down, no one will get a real look at my face.”
Ruthie shook her head again. “Just make sure I get it back tonight.”
“Tomorrow,” Evelyn said, admiring her reflection. “I may be late tonight. I don’t want to wake your whole house and give us away.” She saw Ruthie’s nervous expression in the mirror. “I’ll have it back to you first thing in the morning.”
“What are you telling your parents?”
Evelyn grinned. “Mama and Papa both nap on Saturday afternoons. The timing is perfect to sneak out.”
“And when they realize you’re not home?”
“She went down to Beverly to have dinner and see a movie with Alice from school. Papa, she told you she was going, don’t you remember? She’ll be back late tonight,” Vivie recited. Evelyn reached up and patted her cheek lovingly. She had grown up a lot in the last year.